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HENRY OURTIS, 0F RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

- Letters Patent No. 103,722, lated May 3l', ITO.

RAILROAD'"UARNENTILATOR The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part oi the same.

To all whom lit may concern Be it known that I, HENRY A. CURTIS, of Bichmond, in the county of Henrico and State of' Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway Car-Ventilators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the saine.

Figure 3V is 'a vertical cross-section of same.

My invention relates to that class of ventilators which are automatic in their action, and in which the current of' air admitted is cooled 'and cleansed by means of water; and

It consists in a pivoted oscillating case, which admits a current of outside air from'the direction ot' the cars motion, and permits lthe same to escape within the carLbeing subjected, in transita, to the action of' a spray of' water, thrown up by a wheel, which is rotated by the action of' said current of air: That others may fully understand my invention, I willparticularly describe it.

A represents a. portion of the roof ot' a railway car, to the inner side of which the stationary inclosing 'case B is secured.

The oase B is provided with bearings for the raxis or journals b of the oscillating case C.

One of' these journals is made adjustable, so that it may serve as a bearing for theface or spray-wheel D also, 'as shown in fig. 3.v

"lhe oscillating case O is hung upon the journals b, so that the larger portion of it is within the inclosiug case B, and the latter is filled with water to a point nearly or quite vto the overliow E, so that the lower part of the case C is immersed in the same, and partially'lled through the holes c c in the bottom of said case.

Tater may be introduced at the top of' the case B above the roof A, or in any other convenient way,

Y and the contents of the cases may discharged by opening the cock F.

The" waste way E may be arranged as circumstances render convenient to carry off the overflow, and discharge it'at the outside, of the car, or otherwise.

At either sideof' the case Gis an orifice for entrance and exit of' the draught or current of' air.

Invfig. 2 said orifices are shown at G G, the position of the latter at the opposite side of` the case heing shown by a dotted liuc. 4

It will be perceived in this figure, that when the case C presents the orifice G above the roof A, the opposite orifice G opens below the roof, so that the air which enters the former above the roof' of the car, passes across a part of' the diameter of the case O, and escapes within the car at G'. While thus passing through the case C, the wheel I) is caused to rotate rapidly, and, as each of` its blades dips in the water at the bot-tom of the case at each revolution, the whole case willr be lled with spray and drops ol water, and the passing currents of air will not only be cooled to a greater or lesser degree, but the floating particles of dust, &c., will be caught and precipitated by the spray.

Hoods 1l H' are placed upon the roof` of' the car, in such positions that they will serve as conduits for the entering currents ofl air, one on either side, to correspond with the positions of` the orifices Gand respectively, and beneath the roof A the conduits I I are correspomliugly located, to receive the escaping current, and convey it to such part or parts ot' the car as may be desirable. l

The case C is mounted uponjournals, so that it may oscillate sufiiciently to change the position of' the orifices G G from the conduits above to the conduits below the roof, respectively, and the stop-pins J J, or some equivalent conti-ivanee, are placed in the periphery ot' the case (l, so as to limit and arrest, at the proper point, the movement ofthe said case. I

A diagonal vane, K, is placed at the top of the case C, for the purpose 'ot' moving said case upon its jour nais, to expose the orifices G G'above the roof, according to the direction in which the car may be moving. l

openings of thc hoods H H, or conduits I I, to form a complete connection with the orifices G G'.

From the foregoing description vit will appear that the case C will be automatically adjusted according to the direction from which the air current is` to be received, and that the passage ot' said air current through the case will cause the spray-wheel to rotate, and thereby efl'cct the purification ot' the air, as described. x

Having described luy inventimi,

l. Ihe adjustable case C, in combination with au inclosing water-case, B, and spray-wheel l), substantially as described.

2. In con'lbination` with the oscillating case C, the stop-pins J J and the adjusting vane K,snbstantially as described.

3. An oscillating case, C, provided with the orifices G G', placed as described, in combiuatimi with thc hoods H H', f'or the purpose set forth.

4. In combination with an oscillating case, C, and spray-wheel D, a water-tank or receptacle, B, provided with a waste-way and draw off cock, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set` my hand this `25th day of' April, 1870.

H. A. CURTIS. v Witnesses:

It. D. 0. SMITH, C. A. HAnnnnss.

1f' required, packing may be interposed around the 

